The Guardian
by that-elf-thalionwen
Summary: I'm horrible with summaries, but here's a few things: there's a dragon, an elvish girl, a captain of the guard, and a couple (maybe a lot) of orcs. I recommend that you read it. Thanks! :D
1. The Mysterious Elf and the Council

I pulled my cloak tighter around me. Goodness... it was windy in the cave today... Rhassdorthion was behind me, waiting... always waiting... He had seen some orcs nearby, headed for our rocky home, so we retreated into the hidden tunnels. What, rather, who, walked into the cave surprised us both. It was an elf! He was tall, maybe taller, than me. He looked around.

"This place looks like it has been occupied at one point in time." He shuddered. "Maybe by a dragon."

I smirked. Yes, he was right. I reached behind me and patted Rhass's nose. A dragon and his guardian have been living here. Through a small, arrow-sized hole in the wall, I shot an arrow at the wall behind him. It was an arrow I had stolen from an orc. He whirled around.

"What the-? Where did that come from?" His eyes widened in fear when he saw what kind of arrow it was. "Orcs..." he muttered.

I ran to a different spot and shot another one. He ran to the spot where it came from, but the holes are only visible from my side of the wall. I perfected that in my years of living here. I decided to leave the poor elf alone for a while, so I ran up a set of stairs that led to a cleverly concealed window in the rock face. I looked out. The band of orcs that Rhass had seen were climbing up the narrow, steep path to the cave. Thankfully we were behind the walls, safe. The elf wasn't, but that's not my problem. He muttered something under his breath. I wish he said it louder so I could hear what he had said. Then, as if he could hear me, he said something loud enough for me to hear.

"I wish this guardian was easier for me to find." He snorted. "Living who knows where, and I have to be back at home tonight WITH him! I'll never do this."

WHAT?! He was looking for ME?! Why? Ugh I wish I could talk to him! I mean I could, but he'd get suspicious for a couple of different reasons.

a) How did I know what he had said

b) How did I appear out of nowhere

c) he'd have NO clue who I was.

d) I'm a girl. He thinks I'm a boy. I'd better take advantage of that.

Oh well... I guess tonight I'll have to travel to Rivendell.

While I was thinking of all this, the orcs bounded into the cave. I jolted out of my thoughts and notched an arrow. Oops I can't really do anything helpful from back here. Then I saw an orc sneaking up behind him. I found the nearest arrow-hole and shot the orc. He whirled around.

"What the-? How did that happen! Again! There's some kind of magical creature behind the walls." He fought another orc. That was the last one thankfully. He sighed. "Well, it doesn't look like he's here! I guess I should go back before it gets dark." He hastily left the cave. I emerged from my hiding spot.

"Rhass, fly me to the field outside of Rivendell." Rhass snorted and then nodded his head. I climbed on. I sighed. Off we go on another adventure. Who knows where it'll lead us.

After Rhass landed, I slipped off and patted his nose in thanks. We definitely got here before the elf. "Thank you Rhass." He snorted again and flew off, probably to eat the orc corpses in the cave. The advantages of having a dragon. I ran inside the gates of Rivendell. I waited in the shadows near the gates, to watch and see when the elf came in, so I could follow him. He wouldn't know, of course.

After waiting for over an hour, he finally walked in. I got many strange looks from people as I followed him, probably due to my dark cloak and hood. Oh well... I followed him into the palace with a nod to the guards. They knew who I was. He then proceeded to go out into a small circular patio. A council. Great. Just what I wanted to go to. I smirked. Well, time to take advantage of the fact that he thought I was a man! Thalin. I'll be Thalin for now. I walked into the patio, but stayed behind Lord Elrond's chair.

"Where's the guardian, Hirgon?" Lord Elrond asked.

"I don't kno-... um... sir... there's someone watching you." He looked at me suspiciously.

Lord Elrond turned around. "Ah. There you are. Hirgon, this is the guardian."

No one knew who I was. They all knew me as "the guardian". I suppose that's for the best though. I smirked. "Yes, I'm a guardian. Thalin." I sat down in an empty chair.

"Alright. Now that we've got everyone, we can start the council. As most of you know, we've had an orc problem very close to the city." Uh yeah I knew that. They've been attacking my home!

I snorted. "I think I can help."

"How?" The elf, Hirgon I believe it was, asked.

"I've got a friend. A big friend."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a guardian. He's a dragon."

"What?! Really?"

"Yes." I nodded a bit slyly.

"You can't do this alone Thalin." Elrond shook his head. "Even with a dragon."

"I realize that." I replied.

He nodded. "Now, is there anyone else willing to help?"

"I guess I will." Hirgon said as he stood.

A tall, light haired elf also stood up. It was Legolas, I believe. "I will too."

"Anyone else?" Elrond looked around. Apparently no one else was going to stand up. "Very well then. Council dismissed. Legolas, Thalin, and Hirgon, please come back here tomorrow."

I nodded. "For sure!" I said. I turned on my heel and walked out. I heard footsteps behind me. "What is it Hirgon?" I ask.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Lord Elrond wouldn't run like that, and Legolas wouldn't either." I replied with a smirk. It was quite obvious.

"Huh. True. Well, I wanted to tell you that there's a sparring match tomorrow in the arena."

I stopped in my tracks. "Why?"

"Well, it's the summer solstice. Lord Elrond always has one then."

"Who's sparring?"

"Well since I am the captain of the guard, I am. I don't know who else is sparring. Usually a guard."

"Usually? So anyone really can spar?"

"Yes!"

"See you tomorrow then!" I said, walking off. I smirked. Well, I know what my plans are for tomorrow!


	2. The Spar and the Mysterious Invitation

**(Hey author here! I apologize that I haven't really posted... life has really been busy... I may not post too much next week, I'm going somewhere without much computer access sadly... and I've been procrastinating with my writing lol. Oh well... hope you enjoy this chapter!)**

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I woke up with a start. Where was I? Suddenly, I remembered. Rivendell. I sighed deeply. Hearing footsteps, I jumped up and put my hood up. I still didn't want people to know my true identity. Not yet. There was a knock at the door. I walked over to it and quickly opened it.

"What is it?" I asked.

It was Hirgon. "Well, I was wondering if you were coming to the arena today for the sparring match." he said.

I snorted. "Of course. Why would I miss such a thing?" I smirked. They would never guess what was coming next.

"Well, if you're going, you'd better come now. It starts in a little while. Lord Elrond said you can sit with him. He's got the best view."

"I'm sure he does." I said. This was going to be exciting. I followed him out to the arena. He led me up to where Lord Elrond was sitting.

"Hello Thalin!" the ruler of Rivendell said warmly. "I believe that you will enjoy the sparring match very much." he said.

"I believe I will too, my lord." I replied just as warmly as he did. The arena filled up fast. I was glad that I was sitting up here. I looked around me. What was the easiest way to get down from here? I spotted a set of stairs. Ah, that's perfect. Quick and easy.

Lord Elrond stood. "Welcome my friends! Who would like to try and beat the captain of the guard, Hirgon, in today's spar?" he said loudly.

I immediately stood. "I would, my lord."

He looked at me in surprise. "But Thalin, you only just came. Why don't you let someone else try?"

I shook my head. "No, I wish to do it. I'm fully capable."

He sighed. "Fine. I believe you. Head on down there now Thalin." I ran down the stairs. "Thalin of Mirkwood will spar against Hirgon, captain of the guard."

"Excuse me, my lord, may I make a correction to that?"

Lord Elrond was puzzled. "What needs to be corrected, Thalin?" he asked me.

"Well, sir, it's the simple matter of my name. My name isn't Thalin." I put my hand to my hood. "I'm Thalionwen of Mirkwood." I said as I pulled my hood off and shook my head to let my hair out. The crowd gasped collectively.

"A woman! A woman shouldn't be allowed to fight!" one man said.

I turned around to face the man. I opened my mouth to speak, but Lord Elrond interjected his opinion. "No, I think we should give her a chance. I think she has a fair amount of skill."

I smiled. "Thank you my lord!" I said to him. I turned to Hirgon. He drew his sword, and then raised his eyebrows as an indication that he was ready. I drew my sword and then smirked at him. He lunged at me, his sword extended. I easily blocked his sword. This was easy. I silently wondered if he was going easy on me because I was a girl. "Don't go easy on me, please." I said as I attacked him.

"Trust me, I won't." he said. I noticed after the the exchange of words that he did start to be a little harder in his attacks.

We went on like that for a while, each exchanging attacks, until finally I decided to try and make a finishing attack. I wasn't going to kill Hirgon, of course, but I was going to try to at least disarm him. I placed my feet so that when he attacked, he was open for me to knock the sword out of his hand. Of course, this would only work if he attacked the way I thought he would. Luckily he did. He wasn't as smart as I thought he was. I knocked the sword out of his hand and placed my sword behind his neck. I smirked. "I think I beat you."

He sighed. "I think you did too."

I took my sword from behind his neck and sheathed it. He stood up straight and faced Lord Elrond. "I have been beaten for once in my life. She does have great skill."

I bowed my head as a gesture of respect. "It has been an honor sparring against you." I said.

He did the same. "It has been an honor for me as well."

I bowed to Lord Elrond. "Thank you sir." I said.

"You have great skill, Thalionwen." he said to me.

I smiled and turned and walked out of the arena. Hirgon followed close behind. "Hey, you're amazing!" He ran up next to me.

"You mean my fighting or me myself?"

He hesitated for a minute, then turned red. "Your fighting."

"You're turning red. I have a feeling that there is more than that." I smirked. He really couldn't hide his emotions well. Hesitation and him turning red. I laughed silently.

He chuckled nervously. "No, I just had to think on it."

"I beat you in a sparring match. You really had to think on it?"

He sighed. "Yeah. Oh well... see you later tonight!"

I stopped. "Wait, where am I meeting you?"

It was his turn to smirk. "You'll soon find out!"


	3. The Scouts and the Orcs

I sat on my bed pondering what Hirgon had said. Where am I going tonight? Life could be so confusing sometimes. As I sat, deeply thinking about well, everything I guess, there was a knock at my door. I jumped up and opened it. A guard was standing outside in the hall. Why did a guard want me?

"Miss Thalionwen?" he asked.

"Yes…" I said, still skeptical about this whole ordeal, even though I had no idea what was going on.

"Captain Hirgon wishes to see you down in the guards' quarters." he said. "I am to escort you there."

"Sure." I said. "Let's go." I followed him down countless hallways and around many corners until finally we reached a large wooden door. The guard held it open for me. I nodded my head at him. "Thank you sir."  
"You're welcome." he said. "Ah, there's Captain Hirgon." he walked over to Hirgon. I followed close behind.

"What did you need me for, Hirgon?" I asked.

"Follow me." he said, not shedding any more light on the situation. Yet again, I was stuck following someone somewhere.

I sighed. "For once, would someone PLEASE tell me what's going on?"

He smiled. "Yes, I will tell you."

I looked around me. We were in a small courtyard. "Come on. Spill it."

He smirked. "Fine. Just let me do something quick first." He took another step towards me.

I took a step back and rolled my eyes. "What is your deal, captain?"

He took another step forward and grabbed my hand to prevent me from stepping away. "A simple matter, really." he replied. "I want you to come with me and some of my men on a scouting mission tonight."

I tried to wrench my hand from his grip but he was gripping it too hard. "One thing, captain, I'm not interested in romance. Sure I'll come, but there's something deeper, a catch, to this. I'm sure of it."

He let go of my hand and sighed. "You're too smart for your own good. Yes, there is a catch."

I smirked. "Yes, I may be, but that has its advantages sometimes. What's the catch?" I was eager to find out. I felt that this could be something really good. On the other hand, it could be bad too.

"Well, to put it simply, I want you to become a member of the guard."

I raised my eyebrows. "So basically you want to see how well I scout before recruiting me?" This could be interesting.

"Yes. That's basically it. Will you come? Please?"

"Fine. I'll come. But I'm not guaranteeing anything." I said. I didn't want him getting his hopes up.

His face lit up. "Great! Well, why don't you go get your weapons and come back down here. Your choice of weapons."

I laughed. "I may have trouble finding my way back and forth."

He smiled and chuckled. "Would you like me to come with you?"

"I guess so!" I said. I could tell that he liked me. It was so obvious. I think he was trying to take advantage of every second he could get alone with me.

"Okay!" he said. I didn't want to follow someone again so I walked next to him.

"What are you all going to be doing on this scouting thing anyways?" I asked skeptically. "How long is it going to take?" Usually scouting missions lasted a couple of days, and I wanted to get back home soon. Rhass would be getting worried by this time.

He smiled sweetly. "You must be worried about your dragon. We'll only be gone for one night. And all we're doing is scouting a group of orcs that have been coming close to the town." He grabbed my hand gently, gentler than you would expect for a man with his strength. "Don't worry, no one will get hurt. I'll make sure you stay safe."

My heart was beating a million miles an hour. I don't know why. I felt my face heating up. I probably was turning red. He laughed. I noticed that his ears were turning red too. He quickly let go of my hand. By this time we had reached my room.

"I'll wait out here for you." he said softly. His ears were still red. I was pretty sure that I wasn't red anymore, but my heart was still racing, swift like the wind. I rushed inside my room and grabbed my daggers, bow, and sword. I almost ran out of my room without my quiver, but I remembered it just before I reached the door. I ran right into Hirgon when I came out of my room.

"Sorry!" I gasped. I looked up at him. He looked down at me. He looked deep into my eyes. I felt a strange connection between us.  
"That's fine." he whispered, his words barely audible.

I turned away, blushing. "Let's go." I said.

"Okay sounds good!" he smiled. His ears were redder than ever.

When we arrived at the place we would be spending the night, he pulled me aside. "What I want you to do is scout my scouts. They won't know, but I'll ask them if they heard anything when they come back. That's your job." He blushed as he realized that he was holding my hand. He quickly let go. "Sorry bout that."

"That's fine." I smiled at him. He really did like me. He couldn't hide it anymore. Slowly, and against my will, I felt myself starting to fall in love with him. I sighed. "When are your scouts leaving?"

"They already left." he replied. "Go on. I know you'll do good!" he laid his hand on my shoulder.

"Bye! See you in a bit!" I ran off into the woods. His scouts were easy to find. I followed one for a long time. He had no idea that I was there. That was the point, duh. The scout suddenly stopped, breaking my chain of thought. I quickly scaled a tree where I had a better vantage point. I gasped. There was a huge band of orcs in a small clearing. The scout stepped on a branch. The orcs heard the crack. Every single one of them turned to look at the scout. He ran like the wind. The orcs' leader rallied his men. I ran after the scout, not wanting to be caught by the orcs.

Back at camp, I stayed in the trees. I watched and listened to the scout talk to Hirgon. "There's a huge band of orcs, and they're following me!" he said breathlessly.

"Get whoever is left armed. We need every last man." I saw him nervously look into the trees. I saw him mouthing words that I couldn't quite make out.

Within ten minutes, the orcs had found the camp. I stayed in the tree that I was sitting in. It was the safest place to be at the moment. The orcs attacked the men. I couldn't tell who was winning. It seemed like an equal amount of elves and orcs were left. Finally there were five orcs left and one elf. Hirgon. One of the orcs shot an arrow at him and hit Hirgon in the side. I gasped. They circled around him, weapons raised. I had to do something or he would die! Drawing my sword, I leaped out of the tree, killing one orc as I did so. Hirgon fell to the ground. I killed the rest of the orcs in a blind rage. They killed my captain, my love. I kneeled down beside Hirgon and took his head in my hands. "No!" I cried. "You can't be dead. No!" I started crying over him, my tears falling on his face. "Hirgon, come back to me please! You can't be dead. You can't be!"

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**Hello hello hello! This was a fun (although sad) chapter to write! I can't wait to reveal more to y'all! Please leave comments and reviews, I want to know what you all think of the story so far :) Bai guys!**


	4. The Rescue

As I kneeled beside him, crying my eyes out, I heard a strange voice. Soft and faint, but clear. I stood up, wiping my tears away. "Who are you?" I said.

"It's Hirgon." the voice said.

"But you're dead!" I said sadly, "the orcs killed you."

The voice chuckled. "No I'm not. Look down, at your feet."

I looked down, and what I saw at my feet was not a dead, but an alive, an ALIVE, Hirgon! My eyes widened and I collapsed to my knees. I took his head in my hands. "You're alive. I thought you were dead!"

He laughed weakly. "No, I was alive. I was just unconscious. I broke my promise, I'm sorry. I said no one would get hurt and now most of the men that I brought out here with me are dead, and I am laying here, injured. I'm sorry."

"No, Hirgon, you're alive and I'm alive and uninjured. That's what matters."

He propped himself up on his elbow. He wrapped his other arm around me and pulled me close to him. "I know you said you weren't interested in romance, but I'm sorry. You saved my life, and I owe you something."

"It's okay." I whispered. I was expecting him just to hug me, but I was wrong. I felt his lips brush mine, and I pulled away in surprise.

He smiled. "What, you don't like that?" he whispered.

"No, I do. You just surprised me." I whispered back.

"Good." He pressed his lips against mine, and held me close. I wrapped one arm around his waist, being careful of his wound. I kissed him back. He was gentle but you could tell that he really meant it. He pulled away with a smile. "You know what?" he said. "This is the best thing that ever happened to me."

"But you've got an arrow in your side. How can that be good?"

"It's good because I found out that you love me."

I blushed. Then I took my arm from around him and forced him to lay down flat. "I'm going to temporarily bandage your wound." I said. "This is going to hurt, but I have to pull this arrow out."

He winced at the thought of the arrow being pulled out. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"You don't sound too sure…"

"No. I am. Do it."

"Okay captain." I smiled at him, and squeezed his hand reassuringly. Gently, very gently, I pulled it out of his leg.

He winced and cried out in pain. "That hurts, Thali. A whole lot." he said breathlessly.

"I know it does, but the arrow is out now." I tore a strip of fabric off of my cloak for a temporary bandage. "I don't think you will be able to walk, so I'm going to carry you back."

"No! No no no. You're not carrying me. That's not right. I can walk, you're just going to have to help me." he insisted.

"You're not going to be able to walk Hirgon." I gently bandaged his wound. "I'm going to pick you up right now, and I want you to put at least one arm around my neck for support." I put one arm under his knees and the other under his neck. I picked him up.

"You're quite strong for a girl." he said as he put his right arm around my neck.

I smiled at him. "I've lived with a dragon. What do you think?"

He sighed. "I shouldn't be surprised."

Hirgon was heavy, but I could handle it. By this time, the sun had already set. I set him down again.

"What did you do that for?" he said. "Am I too heavy for you?"

"No, I just don't feel comfortable carrying you all the way back in the dark. I'm going to have Rhassdortion come to take us back."

He raised his eyebrows. "How are you going to call him? But riding on a dragon? That sounds exciting." he said weakly. "I feel like I'm going to faint."

I closed my eyes and concentrated. Suddenly I felt a short, quick pang in the back in my head. I smiled. Rhass had heard me. "Okay. Rhass is on his way now, so if you can hang on until then, we can get you back to Rivendell."

He smiled weakly. "I'll try. I'll do it for you."

I saw a dark shape in the distance. "I see him coming. A couple of minutes. Try to stay awake until I get you on Rhass."

Hirgon nodded. "I'll try, but I'm fading fast." his voice was quiet and weak. Oh Rhass, please hurry.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Rhass landed. He took one look at Hirgon and lowered his wings. He crouched as low to the ground as he could. "Thank you Rhass." I smiled. Lifting Hirgon onto his back was a challenge, but I accomplished it. I lay Hirgon across my lap. "Okay, you can sleep now." I said.

He smiled. "Good." He closed his eyes, and then opened them again. "I love you." he said.

"I love you too." I replied as he slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

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**HAI!**

**ThIs WaS fUn To WrItE because of the twist at the BeGiNnInG!**

**hey any ideas/opinions/preferences/anything for me to know? DON'T BE SHY! I DON'T BITE **

**(maybe if you're mean or insult me but otherwise not)**

**This is the funnest/most fun (choose your word, idk) story I've ever written!**

**Okay BAI!**

**~Thali**


	5. A Temporary Leader

Rhass flew back to Rivendell, sensing the urgency. He landed in the middle of the arena. "Thank you Rhass!" I said as I hastily walked away, with Hirgon in my arms. I kicked open the door to the guards' quarters, surprising everyone who was in there.

One guard recognized me from the previous night. "What happened?" he asked worriedly.

"I'll tell you as soon as Hirgon is taken care of properly. Where does he normally sleep?" I replied.

"Over there in the center of the room."

"Thank you." I gently set Hirgon down on the cot. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he woke up.

"Where am I?" he questioned.

I smiled. "In your bed." He tried to sit up but cried out in pain. "Just stay laying down." I advised him. "It'll help the pain."

"Okay." he smiled weakly at me. He then furrowed his eyebrows. "How are you going to properly take care of my wound with my shirt on?"

I blushed. "You're going to have to take it off then."

He smirked. "And you're not happy about that, are you?"

"I can't say…" I replied. He took his shirt off, wincing as he separated the blood-soaked cloth from his wound. This revealed his very muscular arms and chest. I had never seen a man without his shirt so I blushed a deep red.

"You're turning red!" he teased.

"I can't help it." I retorted. One of the men brought me a bucket full of clean water and a cloth. I carefully washed his wound. Some of the younger elves watched curiously, for they had never seen someone do this before. Hirgon had his hand on my shoulder the whole time, and when he was in pain he would squeeze it. I didn't mind, as long as it made him feel better, I was fine with it. I searched through my pack for a certain herb which I carried around with me all the time. You never know when you're going to need something. Crushing the herb into a powder, I mixed in a little bit of water and applied it to Hirgon's side. He cried out in pain again. I wrapped a new bandage around his middle. He was sweating a whole lot, but he put his shirt back on. I sighed. "How are you feeling?"

"Hot and in pain."

"That doesn't clear much up. Are you feeling better than before?"

"Before what?"

I sighed. He was being difficult on purpose. "Before I brought you here."

"Emotionally no, physically yes." He smiled. He knew that I knew why he answered that way.

I sighed again. "You're no help at all."

He laughed. "No, I guess not." He yawned.

"Do you want to sleep?" I asked.

"Yes, but I want you to stay here next to me." he answered as he grabbed my hand and drifted off to sleep.

"I guess our captain is in love!" One of the younger guards teased.

I raised my eyebrows. "Is that so? You'll have to ask him about it when he wakes up."

"Ask who what when who wakes up" Hirgon said sleepily.

"I thought you were asleep!"

"I woke up. I can't sleep when it's light out."

"Ah I see. Well I told the guard that he should ask you his question when you woke up." I squeezed his hand. I could tell that he was in a bit of pain.

He turned to the guard. "What was your question?"

"Uhhh… well…"

Hirgon smiled. "What? It can't be that bad, can it?"

"Well… I noticed that you were holding Thalionwen's hand, and I told her that you must be in love."

Hirgon laughed. "Yes, in fact, I am!"

"Really? I didn't think a captain was supposed to fall in love with one of his guards!"

He laughed again. "Well, a captain doesn't normally have a female guard! I suppose this is an exception."

The guard smiled. "I guess it is! I heard that the orcs killed all but you."

"Yes, that is true. I wish it wasn't so. These orcs were better prepared than we were."

"Well, now we know what we need to work on in the future!"

"Yes, yes we do." He sighed. The guard walked away. Hirgon turned to me. "I want to try to get up and walk. I'm tired of laying here."

"No, Hirgon, you can't." I smiled at him. "You can try tomorrow, but for now you need to get your rest."

"But-"

"No buts. You're staying here, and I'll make sure you don't leave." I leaned over and kissed his cheek. He turned his head so our lips touched. "You just couldn't resist, could you?"

"No, I couldn't." He sighed again. "Well then, if I'm bedridden for who knows how long, I suppose you should temporarily take over as captain."

"What?! No, I couldn't do that! I've barely even been here, and I barely even know your men!"

"Yes, but you're the only person I trust the guard with. Your judgment is my judgment."

"If you insist…"

"I do!" Hirgon called the whole guard over to where he was laying. "I am entrusting the training and leadership of the guard to Thalionwen while I am injured."

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**HELLO! I have three followers on this story THANKS SO MUCH! :D**

**I may not post another chapter for a couple of days because I'll be busy... so I guess if you need to catch up on it or reread the chapters feel free! :))))))) **

**I like to do these notes but I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO PUT IN THEM agh.**

**Bai guys! May the Force be with you!**


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